Tag: neural circuits
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Inhibitory Circuits Control Leg Movements During Drosophila Grooming
Overview: Grooming as a window into neural control Grooming is a routine, highly patterned set of movements that allows Drosophila to clean its body and antennae. These leg-driven actions arise from a compact neural network that translates sensory input into precise motor output. Recent research highlights the critical role of inhibitory circuits in sculpting these…
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Scientists Identify Brain Cells That Drive—and Suppress—Anxiety in Mice
New insights into the neural roots of anxiety Anxiety disorders affect roughly 20% of adults in the United States at some point in their lives, making them among the most common mental health conditions. While clinical therapies help many, the underlying biology of anxiety has remained complex and only partly understood. Recent research in mice…
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A Brain Repair Shop: Two Neuroscientists Reimagine Healing Memories
Introduction: A Bold Vision for the Brain’s Repair In the evolving field of neuroscience, the idea of a “repair shop” for the brain captivates researchers and lay readers alike. This concept, popularized in part by Steve Ramirez’s exploration in How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist’s Quest to Alter the Past, imagines a future where…
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Researchers Target Neural Interactions Shaping Drug and Social Reward in Breakthrough $3.7M Grant
Overview: A Bold Step Toward Understanding Drug Avoidance via Social Context Public health experts long considered substance use disorders a chronic, treatable brain disease. A new five-year study funded with a $3.7 million grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will probe the neural conversations between social interaction and drug reward. Led by…
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Unraveling the brain mechanisms behind social hierarchies in mice
Understanding social hierarchies in mice From playground dynamics to corporate hierarchies, social ranking influences access to resources, mating opportunities, and territory. Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) are shedding light on the brain mechanisms that underlie these dynamics in male mice. Their work points to specific neural circuits that govern how…